Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday waiving the sweeping Russia sanctions package that Congress passed and he himself signed into law last month. The legislation — the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — targeted Russian officials, banks, and the shadow tanker fleet that keeps Russian energy exports moving. It was due to take effect in two days. Trump said the pause was in the national interest. The waiver lands one week after Trump announced the US would purchase Russian diesel at scale: 300,000 metric tons immediately, 500,000 tons in November, 1 million tons shortly after, and an additional 3 million tons within an unspecified short window. That is roughly 4.8 million metric tons of Russian diesel flowing into US markets — a direct reversal of years of Western economic isolation of the Kremlin. Trump's stated rationale is lowering global energy prices ahead of midterm elections next month. The bipartisan backlash is real but so far toothless. A dozen senators — six Republicans included — wrote to Trump urging him to execute the sanctions and rescind the diesel deal. Zelenskyy, speaking in Brussels, said the diesel arrangement means cash "will start flowing back into Russia." The legislation gave Trump until October 18 to impose or waive the sanctions; he chose the waiver. The diplomatic context is punishing for Ukraine. Trump blindsided Zelenskyy by announcing a mutual agreement not to target energy infrastructure — framing Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries as the cause of high fuel prices threatening Republican midterm prospects. The administration is suspected of withholding intelligence on incoming Russian ballistic missile strikes and throttling Starshield satellite connectivity to prevent its use on drones exceeding 100mph. Neither has been officially confirmed. The sanctions package included a potent secondary enforcement mechanism: up to 100% tariffs on the top five importers of Russian oil or natural gas, with an exception for countries importing less than 15% of Russia's gas exports that have taken steps to reduce dependence. That tool now sits unused. The legislation was the primary political legacy of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, and his sister Darline Graham — appointed to serve out his term and now running for the seat permanently — acknowledged in a debate this week that implementation was Trump's prerogative. The structural picture is stark. A US president is simultaneously the largest new buyer of Russian energy and the sole decision-maker on whether sanctions against Russia's war economy take effect. The bipartisan congressional will to impose costs on Moscow has been functionally neutralized by executive waiver. The Kremlin receives both revenue and a signal that economic pressure will not escalate. The domestic politics are transparent: Trump fears high fuel prices will cost Republicans their thin Senate and House majorities in next month's midterms. The trade is short-term consumer relief funded by long-term strategic concession — cheap diesel now, a richer and less pressured Russia later. Whether Congress can or will override the waiver remains the only open structural question.
